Strip the nonsense: Lap dances should be taxable

Are lap dances taxing? That’s something only the dancer and the recipient can answer.

But are they taxable? The New York State Court of Appeals says yes.

An Albany strip joint called Night Moves tried to claim an exemption from the state’s sales tax, citing the law’s exemption for “dramatic or musical arts performance.” After the court decided 4-3 against the club, the owner of Night Moves is likely experiencing his own kind of whiplash: He’ll have to pay more than $400,000 in back taxes to the state.

According to the New York Daily News, the lawyer for Night Moves had tried a little fancy footwork of his own in the courtroom, suggesting pole dancing was under consideration as an Olympic sport, and the state shouldn’t be deciding what constitutes art, anyway.

“The State of New York has no business differentiating between the Bolshoi and what we do,” according to the lawyer, W. Andrew McCullough.

Yeah, right. Let us know when a man who snores through the ballet gets any shuteye during a lap dance, and we're right there with you, pal.